Wood boring weevil-the tell tale signs.

The presence of wood boring weevil is often a sign of more significant and potentially damaging defects as this type of woodworm only infests timber with a high moisture content and is often associated with fungal decay. It is regularly found in sub-floor timbers where the sub-floor ventilation is inadequate and points the surveyor to the fact that measures need to be implemented to improve the sub-floor ventilation.
We cannot ignore the infestation or simply treat it with a pesticide, the root cause of the infestation i.e. the lack of cross ventilation has to be addressed and once that has been achieved the moisture content of the timber will naturally decrease and the infestation will die out.

[@simonc2751]

Thanks for posting Neil, I'm currently studying symptoms such as this for building pathology in the final year of my degree, really helps to see actual examples from a site visit

[@SquareoftheyearFM]

Nice to hear your proposed solution as increase the ventilation and not spray chemicals. You're a bit far North but if I get any jobs further North I think I'd be happy to put your name forward.

[@essentialhandyman]

Great information neil. As awlays, highly entertaining and informative.

[@leedavidson2415]

Interesting video Neil. I'm looking at insulating a timber floor with sheep wool hanging in breathable roof membrane. Do you think this would be detrimental to the air flow around the timbers? Many thanks, inquisitive SAVA student 😁

[@maxmanx1294]

In the States, we put a 6 to 20 ml vapor barrier on the soil, insulate crawlspace walls with foam boards, and install a dehumidifier. Crawlspace encapsulation.

[@noskari2000]

Hi Neil, another great video. How did the lender know about the possibility of the defect in the timber as your survey was quite intrusive? Was another survey completed before and you were then asked to visit? Many thanks

[@Mr27363]

That's exactly what happened, a homebuyers report recommended further investigation. 👍

[@andyman1032]

i have been in this industry for over 30 years i disagree with your diagnosis i think this is common furniture beetle, wood boring weaval is more prone to where the joist ends sit on the load bearing wall where more damp is coming from the support walls as they like high moist timbers I'm not criticising you just my opinion i am a subscriber to your channel i agree that it needs more ventilation thought

[@Mr27363]

I welcome your comments but with all due respect I have to disagree with your observation that the infestation is CFB. Having seen it close up I can confirm that it is definitely wood boring weevil. The tunneling along the grain is very different to what would be found with a CFB infestation. I have seen this type of infestation thousands of times where the timbers have a high sapwood content. Best regards, Neil.🤝